WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary men's basketball team suffered a 73-66
setback in its return to Colonial Athletic Association play against George Mason on Saturday
afternoon. The Tribe pulled even at 61 on a Brandon Britt 3-pointer
with three minutes remaining, but Mason responded with seven straight points to
seize control. W&M fell to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the
Patriots upped their mark to 8-6 and 1-1 in the CAA.

Junior forward Tim Rusthoven led the charge with his first
double-double of the season and fourth of his career, scoring 19 points on
8-of-12 shooting to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Marcus Thornton shared team-high scoring honors with 19 points, while junior
guard Brandon Britt added 18 points, three assists and three steals.

Mason jumped out to an early 11-2, hitting five of its first
six shots from the floor over the opening four minutes of the contest. The
Tribe closed to within one, 18-17, on a pair of Thornton free throws at the
10:23 mark. After a Thornton 3-pointer cut the deficit to 25-23 with 6:15
remaining in the opening half, the Patriots scored six straight points, pushing
its lead to eight, 31-23, less than two minutes later.

The Mason lead was seven, 33-26, after a pair of Sherrod
Wright free throws at the 2:29 mark, before the Tribe closed the half on an
11-0 run. W&M went straight to Rusthoven in the post, before Britt found
freshman Terry Tarpey for a dunk in transition to close the gap to three. A
pair of free throws from Rusthoven at the 1:28 mark made it 33-32.

Thornton's 3-pointer from the right wing gave the College
its first lead of the game at 35-33 with 55 seconds remaining. A Britt steal
and fastbreak lay-up sent the Tribe to the locker room with a 37-33 advantage. The Tribe shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the floor in the opening half.

A Rusthoven offensive putback just over a minute into the
second half gave W&M a six-point advantage, 39-33. The lead was again six
after a Britt steal led to a Matt Rum transition lay-up at the 15:28 mark.

George Mason answered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead.
Wright knocked down a jumper and then found Jonathan Arledge for a lay-up to
pull the Patriots even at 43. His steal and fast-break lay-up put Mason on top
and a Bryon Allen free throw with 11:55 remaining made it 46-43 in favor of the
visitors.

The Mason cushion reached six, 51-45, after a pair of
Arledge free throw at the 10:38 mark, before the College came roaring back. Four
straight points from Thornton drew the College even at 55 with 6:46 remaining,
before a Britt free throw gave W&M a one-point advantage.

The teams traded the lead before a driving bucket by Corey
Edwards put Mason up three, 61-58, with 3:30 left. On the ensuing Tribe
possession, Thornton drove the middle of the lane and kicked to Britt for a
three from the right corner to tie the contest at 61 with 3:04 remaining.

Mason countered with seven straight points to take control
of the contest. Johnny Williams notched a conventional 3-point play at the 2:48
mark that put the Patriots back on top, and a Wright 3-point play at the 1:54 mark
extended the margin to 68-61. W&M could get no closer than four points the
rest of the way.

W&M finished the game shooting 46.2 percent (24-of-52)
from the floor, including six 3-pointers. Mason shot 59.1 percent (13-of-22)
from the floor in the second half on its way to 48.1 percent (26-of-54) for the
game. The Patriots held a 37-25 advantage on the glass and finished 17-of-24
(70.8 percent) from the free throw line.

Wright led Mason with a career-high 28 points on 10-of-17
from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to go with a team-high seven
rebounds. Edward chipped in 10 points and five assists, while Williams added
nine points.

The Tribe returns to action when it starts a three-game road
trip at Towson on Wednesday, Jan. 9. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Fans can catch
the action on the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Bill McDonald and
Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg is the flagship
station of the Tribe Radio Network and the broadcast can be heard over the
Internet at TribeAthletics.com.

Monday, Jan. 7, will mark the kickoff of The Chesapeake Bank
Tony Shaver Show at Buffalo Wild Wings in New Town. The show begins at 6:30
p.m. with the interview and live radio broadcast taking place between 7-7:30
p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early. This season, Buffalo Wild Wings and Hometown Radio will
participate in a profit share with a local organization during the Coach's Show
and all day on Monday. The first profit share organization will be the Tribe
Club. Click
HERE for the 'Event Ticket' and for more information on the Jan. 7 show.